Determination of some biological characteristics of myzus persicae (sulzer) (hemiptera: aphididae) in pepper plants infected with meloidogyne javanica (treub) chitwood (nematoda: Meloidogynidae)

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica pre-infection (7, 14, and 28 days prior) on the life table parameters of the aphid Myzus persicae reared on pepper plants. The experiments were conducted under two temperature regimes (25 and 28°C), with 60±10% relative humidity and a photoperiod of 16:8 h (light:dark). At 25°C, the total nymphal development time of M. persicae was 6.05 days in the control treatment, whereas it was 6.8 days on pepper plants infected with M. javanica 7 days earlier. Adult longevity was 32.35 days in the control, while individuals feeding on plants infected 14 and 28 days prior exhibited lifespans of 27.67 and 27.75 days, respectively, with no statistically significant differences between them. Fecundity values in the control, and in plants exposed to nematode infection for 7, 14, and 28 days, were 69.00, 70.80, 56.44, and 62.15 nymphs/female, respectively. The number of offspring produced in the control and 7-day nematode-infected treatments differed statistically from that of the 14-day nematode-infected treatment. At 28°C, the total nymphal development time was 6.21 days in the control, while it was 6.83 days on plants infected 28 days earlier. At the same temperature, the net reproductive rate was 10.47 in the control, whereas it increased to 21.66 in individuals feeding on plants infected 7 days earlier. At 28°C, adult longevity, fecundity, and intrinsic rate of increase of M. persicae feeding on nematode-infected plants were not adversely affected compared to the control. However, at 25°C, prior infection of pepper plants with M. javanica negatively influenced the developmental duration of pre-adult stages, adult longevity, fecundity, and intrinsic rate of increase of M. persicae. In conclusion, pre-infection with M. javanica is thought to possibly activate induced resistance in pepper plants against M. persicae. KEYWORDS: Root-knot nematod, induced resistance, life table, aphid